


Six Seeds

by orphan_account



Category: In the Flesh (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Greek Mythology, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-31
Updated: 2015-03-31
Packaged: 2018-03-20 15:11:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3654990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kieren is the god of spring; Simon is god of the underworld and has loved him from afar. Then one day Kieren falls from earth.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Six Seeds

A warm wind was blowing. Flowers swayed in the wind, their sweet scent floating across the field. The breeze enveloped Kieren Walker, rustling his hair, and he smiled, leaning back on his hands. He closed his eyes, his eyelashes brushing his cheeks, and let the sunlight fall across his face.

And from the underworld, someone was watching, gazing up to where the boy sat. A gentle smile crept over Simon Monroe’s face, despite himself, as he watched the breeze sweep over the boy above. His heart fluttered and he turned away, suddenly ashamed. What was he doing? Kieren was an angel, a god actually, and Simon didn’t deserve him. Granted, Simon was a god as well, but god of the underworld, and that was where he belonged. He looked back up. Kieren had leaned back into the grass and flowers, eyes still closed. Simon’s chest ached.

As Kieren lay in the field, he heard footsteps. He sat up and turned to see who it was.

“Hello, handsome!” cried a cheerful voice. Swishing skirts filled Kieren’s field of vision and he looked up to see Amy Dyer’s smiling face. She settled herself down next to him and pinched his cheek. “How are you?”

“I’m all right. It’s a nice day.”

“It wouldn’t be half as good without you,” she said. “What would we do without your flowers?”

“I’m sure you’d manage, it’s not that different from what you do.”

Amy stood back up. “Speaking of which, we have business to attend to.” She grabbed his hand and pulled him to his feet. She skipped ahead of him and he took a step, meaning to follow her.

Something gave way.

Suddenly Kieren was falling, the earth enveloping him. He landed hard, the wind knocked out of him and his vision blurring. Distantly, he heard a voice.

“Are you okay? Can you hear me?”

The voice was frantic, but Kieren didn’t recognize it. He squeezed his eyes shut and opened them again, his vision clearing a bit. He looked up to see a dark haired man hovering over him, eyebrows knit together in concern. Kieren sat up stiffly and groaned, clutching his head.

“Where am I?” he croaked.

“The, um…”

Kieren looked up and met the man’s eyes.

“The underworld, actually.”

“Who does that make you, then?”

“I’m kind of in charge here, I guess. Do you need a hand?”

Kieren accepted the gesture and stood with the man’s help. “I’m Kieren, by the way. Sorry to intrude like this.”

“I’m Simon. Don’t apologize, I don’t know what happened but it was probably my fault, if anything.”

Kieren smiled, not noticing when a blush spread across Simon’s cheeks in the dim light.

Simon couldn’t believe he was here. Kieren, here with him, in this place, alone. His cheeks were burning and he turned his face away, hoping Kieren wouldn’t see and guess the reason why.

“I don’t suppose you know a way out?” Kieren asked him.

Oh, there was that ache in his chest again. Of course Kieren didn’t want to stay. Why would he if he didn’t have to? The dead here were happy enough, but Kieren was so vibrant, so alive. He didn’t belong in a place like this. But could he leave?

“I’m sorry,” said Simon, “I don’t know any way out. There must be one somewhere, but I don’t really go anywhere.” He felt terrible when Kieren’s face fell, wishing there were something he could do, even if it meant Kieren leaving.

Kieren put on a smile, covering his disappointment. Simon saw right through it.

“It’s all right, I’ll look for it and get out of your way as soon as possible.”

“Take all the time you need,” said Simon, and he cringed internally at the enthusiasm in his voice. But really, how could Kieren Walker ever be in the way?

“Thanks,” said Kieren. “Um, I hate to ask this, but I landed pretty hard and I think I should lie down for a bit…”

“Oh! Of course,” said Simon, kicking himself for not thinking of that. “Follow me.”

Kieren was blown away by the sight of Simon’s house. Palace, really. It towered over them, and as he was led inside, he stared up at the ceiling that loomed over them, becoming dizzy from the height of it. Simon led him up a staircase and opened the door at the top.

“This is the guest room. Stay as long as you like.” He left, closing the door behind him.

Kieren slumped onto the bed, wrinkling the perfectly laid out sheets. Lying down was a relief, and his aching muscles and head eased as he leaned against the cushions. While he lay there, he thought about Simon. He wasn’t at all what Kieren had assumed the ruler of the underworld would be like. He seemed aloof, which Kieren attributed to the inconvenience of him falling from earth and landing in front of him, but he was kinder than Kieren had expected, and he didn’t seem likely to kick Kieren out and make him find his own way any time soon.

Soon he felt his eyelids growing heavy. His head slowly drooped despite himself and sleep overtook him. He dreamed of the flowers he had left behind.

Simon wandered up and down the corridors of his house, running his fingers along the walls, as he did every night. There was nothing better to do here, below the ground; not for him, anyway. At least the souls here had friends, people to talk to, things to do together. Simon was apart from all that and he kept his distance. It wasn’t his place to do anything else, so he just watched over them in the day and paced the hallways in the night. Every now and then, in this towering building, he’d come across a room he hadn’t seen in months, and he’d dust off the shelves and straighten the pictures on the wall. Anything to distract from the loneliness bubbling up beneath the surface.

As he passed a certain doorway, he suddenly realized he hadn’t seen Kieren for hours. He knocked on the door gently, and when he got no response, knocked louder. Still hearing nothing, he cracked open the door and peeked in. There was Kieren, swallowed up by pillows, a peaceful expression on his sleeping face. Simon went to back out and was pulling the door shut when he heard Kieren’s voice.

“Simon? Is that you?”

Simon reopened the door. “Sorry, I was just...I wanted to make sure you were okay. Sorry to wake you.”

“It’s fine,” said Kieren, “I’ve been out too long anyway.”

“Right, well, I’ll just leave you alone now, I didn’t mean to bother you.”

“Simon?”

“Yeah?” Simon turned back to face Kieren.

“Will you go with me tomorrow? To look for the way out? It’s fine if you’re busy, I just thought it would be nice to have someone along who knows the place a bit.”

“Yeah,” said Simon, and then he turned around and shut the door.

His heart was pounding. Kieren wanted to spend time with him. Time looking for a way out, but still. Maybe, just maybe…

A thousand different scenarios played out in his head all at once. No, he told himself, it would never work. The irony of the god of spring and the god of the underworld together was too much. Never mind that Kieren had every reason to leave this place. And no reason to stay.

Kieren sat up in the dark after Simon left, stretching his sore limbs. He was unsure if Simon had agreed to go with him out of pity or genuine interest. Probably the former; he definitely had better things to do with his time than drag some lost boy around the underworld all day. Kieren felt guilty for asking, but he was afraid if he took off on his own he’d be hopelessly lost. Still, he could probably manage, and Simon’s reply to his asking had been less than enthusiastic. He turned to the bedside table and saw a bowl of fruit. He poked through it, suddenly hungry, and found half a pomegranate, glowing an enticing red in the light coming through the window. He popped a few seeds in his mouth and then rose to find Simon and apologize for trying to drag him away from important business.

He found Simon downstairs, in a room filled with books. Simon was running his fingers down the spines but didn’t pick up any of them. Kieren watched for a few long moments and then cleared his throat. Simon jumped a little before composing himself, turning to face Kieren. Kieren thought for a second he saw a flush spread across Simon’s cheeks, but everything was so dark here, it was probably a trick of the light.

“I, uh, just wanted to apologize if you felt obligated to agree to go with me tomorrow. I know you probably have much better things to do besides help me, so I just want you to know–”

“Kieren,” said Simon, and Kieren’s speech halted. “I don’t mind at all. There’s so little to do here anyway, and you’re trapped here. I want to make it up to you.”

“Oh. Well, thank you. I appreciate it.” He turned to leave.

“Oh, and Kieren?”

“Yes?” Kieren turned his head back to Simon.

“I should probably have mentioned this earlier, but if you eat anything, you might be trapped here for good.”

Kieren froze where he stood.

Simon had meant it as an offhand comment, a warning that was probably unnecessary in the first place. But when he saw Kieren’s reaction, his heart stopped. He looked at Kieren more carefully. His lips were stained a deep pink. “Oh no,” said Simon. “How much did you eat?”

“I don’t know, a few seeds.”

“How many?”

“Six, maybe?”

“Okay, so not much.” Simon sighed. “It might be okay then. There might be a way around it if it’s that few.”

“Seems like a strange rule,” said Kieren, a slight tremor in his voice.

“Most people who end up here aren’t meant to leave anyway,” said Simon. “I think it’s meant to be a precaution. I don’t make the rules, mind you, I just carry them out..”

Kieren nodded, his breathing ragged. Simon saw a tear roll down his cheek. Oh no. This was all his fault. He should have kept the place in better repair so Kieren wouldn’t have fallen, he should have warned Kieren about the rule sooner, he should have made it clearer that yes, he wanted to help Kieren, even if the cost was never seeing him again. “Kieren.” Simon moved closer. Suddenly Kieren was leaning against him, crying quietly into Simon’s shirt. Simon hesitated for a second, then carefully placed his arms around Kieren.

“Shh, it’s okay. We’ll find a way out, it’ll be fine.”

“I miss Amy,” Kieren choked out.

“I know, I’m so sorry.”

“What if I have to stay here forever?”

Simon felt a pang at the prospect of Kieren hating it here, but he only replied, “You won’t have to, we’ll figure it out.”

“Thank you, Simon. For everything. I don’t know how I’d manage without your help.”

Simon shook his head. “It’s nothing, really. I feel awful about you getting stuck here.”

“I don’t blame you, it was an accident.” Kieren sniffed and then pulled away from him. Simon did his best to hide his disappointment. “I should go to bed. Rest up for tomorrow.”

“Right, of course. Sleep well, Kieren.”

The stairs creaked as Kieren climbed them to his room. Simon listened and replayed the feeling of holding Kieren over and over in his mind. He still couldn’t quite believe Kieren was here. He wished it were under better circumstances, but to be in Kieren’s presence, and to hold him in his arms, however briefly, was something he wouldn’t have imagined possible only a few days ago, and now here he was. Then Simon replayed Kieren’s words. He missed his friend, he didn’t want to be stuck here forever. His embrace had been a fluke, something done out of a need to be comforted. It didn’t mean anything more than that. Simon shook his head at his own thoughts and made his way to his room for the night.

Kieren closed his door behind him and took a deep breath. He thought of Amy, how worried she would be. She probably had no idea where he was even if there were. Still, if there was a way in for him, there might be one for her. Even if he couldn’t leave here, maybe…

He sighed. He could hope for the best all he wanted, but if there was no way to communicate with her, there was very little chance of her finding him. He had to find a way to get a message to her.

At least Simon was there. Kieren’s mouth pulled into a smile despite the tears still in his eyes. Simon’s embrace had been so gentle, almost like he was afraid Kieren would break. Honestly, he felt fragile right now, but Simon’s comfort had almost made it okay. Kieren remembered his own forwardness and blushed slightly. He probably shouldn’t have thrown himself at Simon like that, but Simon hadn’t seemed to mind. He thought of how Simon had looked at him and his blush deepened. He needed to stop imagining things. It meant nothing.

The next morning, as Simon sat in the dining room, he heard the floorboards creak and looked up to see Kieren standing in the doorway. Simon stood.

“There you are,” said Kieren, smiling. “I’m glad I found you, this place is like a maze.”

“I’d offer you breakfast, but, well, you know.”

“It’s fine,” said Kieren, “it’s not like we strictly need to eat.”

“True.”

“Is there still a point in searching for a way out, do you think?”

“Of course. We’ll find a way to get you home.”

Kieren approached the table, leaning on his hands. “Thank you,” he said, and then he leaned across and pressed his lips to Simon’s.

Simon pulled back in shock. Kieren pulled away too, clapping his hand over his mouth.

“Sorry, sorry,” he gasped, “it was just an impulse, sorry.”

“No, it’s fine, it’s more than fine, I just...I want to be sure it’s really what you want.”

Kieren hesitated. “It’s not that I don’t want to go home, but–” he paused for another few seconds, eyes turned down. “I think I’ll miss you, if I go.”

Simon melted. He circled around the table to Kieren and kissed his forehead. “I’ll miss you too,” he murmured. “But I want you to be happy. I don’t want you to be trapped here when you could be with your friend.”

“I’ll be okay. Even if I can’t leave, maybe she can come here.”

Simon hadn’t thought of that. “I’ll find a way to tell her where you are.”

“Thank you, Simon.” Kieren pulled away. “We should go.”

Simon nodded and followed Kieren out the door.

Kieren, still shocked at his own actions, walked with Simon trailing after him down the path leading away from the house. Even he hadn’t been expecting what he did. It had just happened. Impulse, as he said. But Simon was handsome and kind, and when he thought of being here, it suddenly didn’t seem so bad. All he really had in the world above was Amy.

Kieren was so caught up in his own thoughts that he nearly ran straight into Philip.

“Kieren!” Philip cried out, and then composed himself. “Kieren, I’m glad I found you. Amy sent me.”

“So there’s a way in?” Kieren gasped.

“Of course there is. The way out is a little more complicated, but if you just follow me you’ll be fine; it’s a bit easier for me as a messenger.”

Kieren shook his head. “I can’t Philip. I ate the food, I can’t leave. It was just a little, Simon thinks there could be a way, but right now I can’t go with you.”

Philip turned to go. Just as he was about to take off, Kieren grabbed his arm. “Tell Amy I miss her, will you? Can she visit?”

“She can, for short periods, yes. I’ll tell her.”

“Thanks, Philip.”

Philip took flight and disappeared, leaving Kieren standing there and Simon hovering a few yards behind him. Kieren turned to him. “See? It’ll be okay.”

Simon smiled, but it was a sad smile. “You might even be able to go.”

Kieren returned the smile. “We’ll see. I guess we can go back to the house; they can find me again.” As he brushed past Simon, he reached for his hand, and Simon grabbed hold. They walked back up the path, hand in hand.

Above them, Amy paced madly, waiting to hear news. When Philip returned, she ran to him. “Did you find him? Is he okay?”

“He’s fine, Amy, but he can’t leave.”

“Why not?”

“He ate a pomegranate; not much, but he can’t leave now.”

“Has he tried?”

“No, but that’s the rule.”

“Go back down there right now and make them check the rules. Maybe there’s a loophole, something. Without him the flowers are dying, I need him back.”

“Why don’t you come with me? He wants to see you.”

“Okay, but let’s hurry, before the flowers are gone.”

They descended.

Simon allowed Kieren to lead him into the house, hands still clasped together. He shut the door behind them, and as he turned back around, Kieren grabbed onto the front of his shirt and pulled him into a kiss. Simon returned it, hands going up to hold Kieren’s face, heart pounding. Kieren wrapped his arms around Simon’s waist and Simon pulled him closer.

There was a knock at the door.

They jumped apart, and Simon opened the door as Kieren smoothed down his hair. There stood Philip, this time with Amy in tow. Kieren peeked over Simon’s shoulder.

“Amy!” he cried out, and he pushed past Simon to fling his arms around her.

“Kieren! I was worried sick.”

“I missed you!”

“It’s been two days, handsome, it’s all right.”

“Yeah, but it’s not like I’m leaving any time soon.”

“That’s why we’re here,” she said. “I wanted to check the rulebook personally and look for any way out.”

Kieren looked back to Simon, who was staring at the floor.

Not noticing, Amy continued on. “Everything is wilting without you. I can handle the harvest, but I can’t make things grow quite like you can, and even after a few days they’re already dying.”

Kieren felt a pang of guilt. How could he consider staying here, when he had duties in the world above? No, he had to find a way to get back up.

“Where’s the book, Simon?” Amy demanded.

“The book of rules?” he asked

“Yes, where is it?”

All of them followed him to his library. He bent down and pulled a massive book off the shelf, setting it on a table in the middle of the room. Amy flipped through it, scanning the pages. After what seemed like an eternity, she stopped flipping and pointed to a paragraph. “Right here,” she said. She leaned down to read it more carefully. “It says here that if he ate only six seeds, he can leave for six months out of the year. Kieren, you can come back with me, isn’t that wonderful?”

Kieren turned to Simon. This time Amy caught the glance. “Oh,” she said.

“I’m sorry, Amy.”

“Well, don’t worry about it, handsome. The harvest just happened, the people can wait. Just come back when I really need you, yeah?”

“Of course,” he replied.

Amy pulled Kieren in for another embrace. “I’ll come see you as often as I can,” she said. She and Philip then let themselves out, leaving Kieren with Simon.

“You don’t have to stay if you don’t want to.”

“Of course I want to,” said Kieren. “I’ve barely gotten to know you. And I want to. Besides, it’s probably better to wait until I’m needed.”

Simon pulled him in for an embrace then. He wanted to cry, he was so relieved. Kieren, this beautiful boy who he had cared about for so long, wanted to stay with him. He’d have to leave eventually, to do what he had to, but he’d come back. And Simon would wait for him.

Kieren grabbed onto Simon’s sleeve and led him up the staircase. He pulled Simon in for a kiss, leaning against the door, fumbling to open it. He dragged Simon into the room and onto the bed, pressing kisses to Simon’s face as he did.

“I’m glad I’m here,” he whispered.

Simon couldn’t stop smiling.

 


End file.
